Illustrate Omaha | collecting creatives

Location: Lincoln, NE
Education: Bachelors of Science in Design – UNL ‘08
Masters of Architecture – UNL ‘10
Employment: Leo A Daly 2006-2009

Adam was born and raised in Omaha, NE. He received his Bachelors of Science in Design from UNL in 2008 and is expecting to graduate with his Masters of Architecture in May of 2010 from UNL. Adam studied abroad in London, England in Spring 2009 and traveled to 9 other countries in order to experience a full range of architectural style and history. He has received such awards as the Ron and Judy Hess Traveling Fund and the W. Cecil Steward Sustainability Scholarship during his time at UNL. Sustainability framed through the analysis of global and local waste is the focus of his current thesis topic, directing his final year of study at the College of Architecture.

How did you realize you wanted to go into architecture?
It wasn’t something I realized on my own actually, which is weird since my father is an architect and I have been around the business for so long. It was my uncle who pointed it out to me about half way through my senior year of high school. I was in the car with him one day and he caught me staring at the American National Bank building on 90^th and Dodge as we drove by it. He looked at me and asked, “You have the bug, don’t you?” I had no idea what he meant so I asked him what he was talking about, and he simply said, “The architecture bug…” It was like a thunderclap of realization. That week I switched my future plans from the culinary arts to architecture and have never once doubted that it was the right decision.

How would you describe your style or approach to work?
I’m not sure I have a style yet, but an approach, definitely. At the outset of a project I try to really immerse myself in it entirely…I love to go to the library immediately after getting a project statement and check out just as many books as I can about any related topics: history relating to the project, relevant artists and architects, precedent buildings, context…and then after I have absorbed as much information as possible, I usually write. I would say 75% of my sketchbook is actually writing. It’s just filled with questions to myself about intent, what I want to accomplish, lists of more research I need to do, concept statements…anything that comes to mind. Then there is usually an incubation period where I am tired of the project and I try not to think about it, haha. I wait for some sort of inspiration to drive me to design instead of forcing it to happen. This sort of kills my time management but leads to better designs. Perhaps this is why I “don’t have a style”, because I try to let the project tell me what it wants to be instead of forcing it to be something I want…

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
“Make beautiful things.” This is actually really hard advice to follow, but also something I tell myself over and over. Its hard advice to follow because just making beautiful things is easy, what’s difficult is to make beautiful things that have meaning and are functional, which is imperative in architecture.

What is your best way to break out of a creative rut?
I try to seek out new inspiration. Usually, if I am in a creative rut, it’s because my original inspiration hasn’t propelled me to the place in my design I want to be, or my design has evolved too far beyond the original inspiration and they don’t match anymore. This tends to leave me stuck re-inventing my projects a lot, but the process of trial and error is really invaluable…to me it’s unthinkable to say that I could achieve what I wanted on the first try, or even the second or third or fourth… If I am intent on sticking to my inspiration and I need to break out of a rut, I usually go for a walk around campus or downtown Lincoln. When I’m walking, I’m distracted just enough to not be completely agonizing over my design, and I am able to draw inspiration/direction from my surrounding. If all else fails, I sleep on it.

How do you use illustration in your renderings and what methods/programs do you use?
For me the greatest architectural renderings are suggestive, not definitive. Allowing the imagination of the viewer to fill in the vague areas of a watercolor or read the quick strokes of a scribbled sketch how they choose, engages them in the creative process. Photorealistic renders are flashy and awesome, but take all the mystery out of what you are seeing –  so I tend to lean toward the traditional “hand-done” methods of rendering. But relying on one method really limits your audience these days because there is so much competition. If a client doesn’t like what they see, they can go to someone else and get what they want. So while I may not be an expert at any one illustration method I find experience in everything from hand drafting, sketching, and watercolor to Adobe Creative Suite, V-Ray, and Revit is best.

Location: Omaha, NE
Education: Associates of Occupational Studies, Graphic Arts and Design
Employment: Omaha Performing Arts – Graphic Design
Website: www.sheishandmade.com

I spent my childhood in a small farm town, Earling IA. Once I graduated High School, I moved to Omaha. Hung out for quite some time going to school here and there, I ran around with friends being creative, having fun and enjoying youth. I also lived in San Diego for a brief moment, enjoying most of my time at the beach. When I came back to Omaha, I realized what I wanted to do and started studying more seriously and made my career my focus.

How did you realize you wanted to be an graphic/web designer?
There was this one moment when I was on the computer, maybe adjusting my myspace wall with HTML or something like that, and just like that it dawned on me, I should be a graphic designer. I realized it was time to grow up and get a job. I had always been into art and design and had recently found new love for computers and web design.

How would you describe your style or approach to work?
I guess freestyle. I just do things naturally. Sometimes I am inspired by trash outside my apartment and other times I try to imitate some fancy car commercial or something nice and sleek like that. It’s whatever I am feeling. Although, my approach is somewhat serious, if I have an idea or a job to do, I work really hard to get it done with the results I envisioned.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Advice is always present. Sometimes the best advice isn’t advice at all. It’s a comment, a conversation, or something visually inspiring. My family, friends, teachers and bosses have given me loads of advice. all is really great, you know, mostly like keep going, doing a great job, and of course, constructive criticism. But I think the best advice was given to me without ever really knowing it.

What is your best way to break out of a creative rut?
Get out and  go away for a while. Get together with friends and do something fun. I think it’s really important to have a balanced work life so you don’t get in those creative ruts to begin with.

What do you feel is the most important skill for a designer to have?
Passion is important to have in any job you are doing. In regard to design, I think that you have to be a good salesperson to sell your vision and instill confidence in your abilities If you want to have some creative freedom in the project, otherwise people will try to influence you and make you design things you don’t feel passionate about.

Location: Omaha, NE
Education: Cozad High School; BA in Studio Art, Hastings College;
MFA in Ceramics, Bowling Green State University
Employment: Studio Artist
Website: www.jessbenjamin.com

Jess Benjamin creates work that is both monumental and beautiful. She is easily one of Nebraska’s premier artists. If you aren’t already an admirer of her work you will be! Enjoy the Spotlight and visit her studio on Saturday. (Post Above)

Biography: Jess Benjamin was born in Cozad, Nebraska in 1979.  She received her B.A. in Studio Art from Hastings College in 2001. She received her M.F.A. in Ceramics in 2008 from Bowling Green State University, where she studied under John Balistreri. Benjamin was a studio assistant for artist Jun Kaneko from 2002-2005. She has shown at the Museum of Nebraska Art, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, and The Fred Simon Gallery.  Her works have been published in Lark Publications “500 Ceramic Sculptures,” Ceramics Monthly, NY Arts Magazine, Nebraska Life, and HER Magazine.  Benjamin has appeared on NETV’s program “Statewide” and HGTV’s “That’s Clever.”

How did you realize you wanted to be an artist?
I attended a liberal arts college that required me to take an art class.  Immediately, I was attracted to clay and began prioritizing time in the ceramics studio creating work over other studies. After graduation, I spent a year working on my family’s farm and ranching operation. During this time, I realized I needed to be working with clay to express my ideas more than I needed to be working on the ranch.

How would you describe your style or approach to work?
As an artist, I am a problem solver.  I am interested in finding solutions to the problems of the world I live in.  My artwork focuses on the ongoing and worsening drought in the Great Plains of Nebraska. The objects that I create are inspired by my research on Kingsley Dam at Lake McConaughy in Ogallala, Nebraska, a short drive from where I was born.   Drought is not only a regional problem: it is a global one.  I attend to one dimension of this global problem in my work on Lake McConaughy.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
My father once advised me on the physics of riding a 4-wheeler in the pasture when he said, “You can always go down a hill, it is trying to get back up that is the hard part, so you had better have a plan.” I use this advice in almost all aspects of creating sculpture. I have to think long-term before committing to creating a piece of art.  When I work with clay, I have to think about how the material is going to shrink as it dries; how I will move it; how I will fire it; how I will glaze it; at what temperature will I fire it; how will I be able to crate it to move it safely.  Finally, I have to think about how it will be displayed and lit in galleries, homes and public spaces.

What is your best way to break out of a creative rut?
I go to a library to browse through books, periodicals, magazines, and maps that are relevant to an idea that I have been thinking about. I spend most of my time in the science stacks looking for books on agriculture, grasslands, water, and drought.

What would you like the viewer to take away from your work?
In my artwork there are many theoretical similarities between the underlying structures of jackstones, water and ethanol molecules, and seed starting planters All relate to a basic geometrical form: the tetrahedron, a type of pyramid that is similar to the shape of a jack in a child’s game of jacks. Each of my sculptures develops this concept. I hope that people will look at the objects that I create and notice the fragile balance there is between humans and nature. Ceramic sculpture allows the audience not only to view the object, but also to touch it, offering a more integrated and tactile experience.

Location: Omaha, NE
Born: Cleveland, Ohio
Education: BFA Visual Communications, Ohio State University
Employment: Self
Website: http://www.wolcottcreative.com/

Karen Wolcott is a highly skilled illustrator and designer. Her work is beautiful and refreshing, showcasing her patience and attention to detail. Take the opportunity to visit her website for yourself and enjoy the Spotlight of Karen Wolcott!

Biography: Karen has been drawing happy people from the moment she picked up her first crayon. Although, she holds a BFA in studio photography and journalism, her biggest love has always been drawing. She worked as a graphic designer, art director and photo editor in Cleveland and Los Angeles before becoming a full-time illustrator in 2001. Karen’s diverse client list includes: American Girl, Bath and Body Works, Cover Girl, Fisher-Price, Hanes, Mattel, PepsiCo, Random House and Scholastic. When she’s not creating vector illustrations on a mac, she likes to throw big pieces of craft paper on the wall and make a mess with pastels and charcoal. Currently, she lives in Omaha, Nebraska with her husband and son.

How did you realize you wanted to be an illustrator?
When I worked as an art director and graphic designer, I received all the illustration source books like Showcase and The Workbook. I loved looking at them. It was so inspiring. It made me realize how much I missed drawing. I was tired of working in an office and attending “Monday Morning Meetings”. Sometimes you have to reach your breaking point before you make the change you need or want to make.

How would you describe your style or approach to illustration?
I think my style is lighthearted. Most of my work is for children and tweens. I sketch in pencil then scan and redraw it in Adobe Illustrator. Beginning sketches are the longest part of the process for me. When illustrating for clients, I’m trying to work within their guidelines while still putting my own twist on it. Sometimes it takes a lot of sketching before I get in a zone. But once I do, life is good.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
When I first began illustrating, I worked in about 5 different styles. As an emerging illustrator, when you advertise you really need to pick one style so you don’t confuse art directors. They need to be able to associate you with a specific look. When I was trying to decide what illustration style I should pursue and advertise someone told me not to think about which would be more profitable – to only think about which style I enjoyed working in. It’s always better to follow your own happiness than try and figure out what others will like.

What is your best way to break out of a creative rut?
To clear my head I either go to the gym and run or stare up at the sky for a while. Clouds usually calm me.

Where do you draw inspiration for your work?
Playing with my son. He has a great imagination and being around him pushes me to be more whimsical. Everyday things will inspire me like wrapping paper, books, toys, cartoons, plants in my yard or paint chips.

Carolyn Kruger is an incredibly talented web designer/artist that I had the pleasure of working with as an intern at Bozell in the summer of 2008. She was great to work with; professional, creative, humble, really the whole package. Enjoy the Creative Spotlight on this wonderful designer!

Location: Bellevue and Blair, NE
Born: Omaha, NE
Education: Dana College – iMedia (combination of graphic and web design) and English
Employment: Dana College – Interactive Media Specialist

Biography: My name is Carolyn Kruger. I am 22. I was born in Omaha and raised in Bellevue. I graduated from Dana College in May 2009, and I currently work for the college. I have almost 5 years design experience and in no way consider myself a professional. I design for print and web. I work with social media for the college. I love branding. I’m a freelance photographer. I write press releases and email campaign messages. I create some video. I like illustration even though I am not very good at it. I like creating my own lettering. I can’t decide, so I try everything.

How did you realize you wanted to be a designer, or more specifically, a web designer?
My story is a little odd. When I was in high school, I took all of the traditional classes – math, English, science, history, languages – because I wanted to be valedictorian and I had to take all of those core classes to do that which didn’t leave me time for much else. When I was getting ready to apply to college, I decided that I was bored with all the standards, and I wanted to do something I never had before. I was introduced to my first Mac my junior of high school, and I decided that it was beautiful, and I wanted a job that I could use one of those. (At work, I now have a 24” iMac with 4GB RAM and a 1 TB of storage.)

I did have an interest in art too and it was a different thinking style than the traditional math and science. So I found a college close to home where I liked the advisor, and since I had never attempted art or design before I wanted a small school where I could receive individual attention. The iMedia major no longer exists at Dana, but it emphasized designing for the web so I kind of fell into web design. I met many people along the way that helped teach me as well like CK Hicks, Lane Roberts and Max Riffner.

I’m not sure if I ever realized it or just decided to do it. There are a lot of really interesting people in this field which helped keep me here too.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I find inspiration through research. I love to learn and understand, which probably incorporates my previous high school education. I talk to people who I am designing for and get a feel for the company/product and try to bring that into the design. I look at designs online. I look at Social Media sites like Twitter and Facebook for new things that they’re incorporating. I talk to other designers, look at pictures, go for a walk, read, essentially anything to gain a new perspective.

What is your best way to break out of a creative rut?
Each time is different, and since I haven’t been doing this very long I haven’t reached any real ruts yet. When I get stuck, I typically research some more or do something, anything that forces me to see the situation a little differently.

What is the best advice you have ever received?
These questions are hard… I think I felt liberated when I was told that I don’t have to put my career or job description in a silo. I don’t really know how to describe myself, because I do multiple things and I like them all. It’s also nice to know that I don’t have to be defined by what others expect of me. I’m pretty sure my parents didn’t expect me to go into the design field, but they never stopped me and I think they’re pretty proud. I think the best thing that I’ve been told/absorbed is that a job or a career is not the definition of life. I’m not a designer. I’m me. When it comes down to it, it’s the people in my life that I’m going to remember and appreciate not that I work in one of the coolest career field for 40-60 hours a week. As I write this, I am still sitting in the office at 6 o’clock. Even though I know it, I haven’t quite figured out how to put it into practice.

What do you feel is the most important skill for a designer to have?
I think the most important skill a designer can have is the desire to learn. Things change so quickly and to stay current, you have to be willing to change and learn new techniques too. Each new project that comes your way will be different and have a different story. I love researching for each project that comes my way. I have to understand it and understand how it works before I feel like I can adequately convey its story.

City: Omaha NE
Education: UNO/BFA Program
Employment: Volunteer

Dylan Sherrill is by far one of the best artist’s in UNO’s BFA Program. He is energetic, highly motivated, and friendly. Dylan is very experimental, producing original and interesting artwork that tests the very limits of his medium. Learn a little about Dylan here at Illustrate Omaha, because you will surely be seeing more of him and his work in the future. Enjoy the Artist Spotlight of Dylan Sherrill!

Biography: I was born in Shreveport Louisiana and moved to Omaha at an early age. I became interested in art my freshman year of high school. My homeroom was the pottery room throughout high school, so that is where I spent most of my time. After I graduated I wasn’t prepared for college, so I went to work for a while. Over the next two years I did not create anything. I got into retail management (I will NEVER return) and started taking night classes at Metro. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I just took general education classes. I then started working at a bank and took finance classes at night, boring! Feeling the need for art after a year at the bank, I started to help out downtown at Omaha ClayWorks. There, under Tom Harnak, I learned so much about ceramics and being an artist! After 3 years of being at the bank, I decided it was time to get back into school and came to UNO.

When I came to UNO I left ClayWorks and brought my wheel up to the university. My second semester at UNO, I had some internships at HotShops Art Center where I learned bronze casting under Les Bruning, and stainless steel sculpture under Michael Godek. I am currently a Sophomore BFA student with a focus on Sculpture. I recently finished helping with the new Patrick Dougherty sculpture at the Joslyn Art Museum, where I also volunteer in the Edtech Gallery. Now I am working on a small project with Immanuel hospital that involves painting a small mural in a room for children. Some of the concepts I am trying to work on right now are “colorblind art” and temporary sculptures!

How did you know you wanted to be an artist?
It started out as a hobby. I didn’t really think that I would be able to do anything with it art. When I started to take a notice in public art I decided, hey, this is something I could do! I then got more involved and went seeking more and more art.

What is the best advice you ever received?
When I began to look at more art, and not just public art, I couldn’t understand my own thoughts. I was having problems; I didn’t like most of the art I saw. For a while I thought that this may be a bad thing for an artist! While I was working with Michael Godek one day I said to I didn’t like the artist’s work that we were talking about, and I didn’t like most of the art he showed me. He told me that’s fine, to be an artist you don’t have to like everything, you will probably like only one percent of the work you see! –Michael Godek

Writers write.  If you don’t write then you can’t call yourself a writer. –Fred Zydek

What is your best way to break out of a creative rut?
I have yet to find a way out of a creative rut, the only thing I can do is wait. Nothing has really pulled me out of a creative rut before. Maybe looking at others art.

Who in your life has inspired you to do the work you do?
Fred Zydek has been a huge inspiration throughout everything I do. The people I have worked under influence my work, but I haven’t been inspiration very much. I try to soak up as much art as I can so I may learn what is out there. Eventually I believe that a very small amount of everything that I have seen will come through in my artwork.